El Calafate - Things to do

Sights

Laguna Nimez

Alongside the lakeshore, north of town, Laguna Nimez is prime avian habitat – and a great place to spot flamingos – but watching birds from El Calafate’s shoreline on Lago Argentino can be just as good.

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares

The centerpiece of the southern sector of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is, without a doubt, the breathtaking Glaciar Perito Moreno, one of earth's most dynamic and accessible ice fields. A low gap in the Andes allows moisture-laden Pacific storms to drop their loads east of the divide, where they accumulate as snow.

Over millennia, under tremendous weight, this snow has recrystallized into ice and flowed slowly eastward. Visiting the Moreno Glacier is no less an auditory experience than a visual one, as huge icebergs on the glacier's face cave and collapse into the Canal de los Témpanos (Iceberg Channel). From a series of catwalks and vantage points on the Península de Magallanes, visitors can safely see, hear and photograph the glacier as the enormous chunks crash into the water.

The glacier changes appearance as the day progresses (sun hits its face in the morning). Tour companies offering boat or trekking packages have offices in El Calafate.